School starts in less than a week. I don’t know why I thought 15 days in the last check-in, that was just incorrect. It’s 5 days from today. So my anxiety is pretty high about that.
Follow-ups: Okay, I’ve got most of my school schedule tied up, but I’m still on the waitlist for Physics I and its lab. fingers crossed that I get those. If I do, then this semester is perfect, and I probably won’t add another class, because everyone is basically saying that I shouldn’t. If I don’t get it, I don’t know. Maybe a programming class. That’d probably be a good fit.
I also still haven’t gotten my oil change, emissions test, haircut, etc. But now that I can actually wrap my head around that schedule, I’m also less worried. I mean, I do need to get those done. Well maybe not the haircut. I’d like to freshen the coif up, but whatever. But the schedule isn’t completely packed, and I’ll have time. I think. I don’t know, I guess I’ll find out.
Practice and previews of classes – I am doing those.
Health/Fitness: I have some exciting news. I am now firmly below 240 lbs. I dipped all the way down to around the end of last week, but I think a good amount of that was water weight. I was sweating buckets after a very hard run and a solid lift. I clocked around 238 today, but I’d say right about 240 is my fed, rested, hydrated weight. I’m pretty happy with it either way.
And that run, wow. I’m so happy I decided to start boosting up the challenge of my distance. As of this week, I have made two runs over two miles! Today came out to 2.6 miles! Over two and have half dang miles, no stops! It was like, 90 degrees out today! I was soaked to the bone.
It felt really awesome.
Academics: I am about out of prep time, so I’m taking the next few days to get in a little bit of preview and practice but otherwise just button up what I can administratively and enjoy a few hangs with friends. More on that later. I started my Calculus I preview today, and I think I already understand Limits more after one session than I ever did in high school. I don’t know what that says about me, but it sure says somethin’.
Projects: I’ve got a handful of projects that I’d like to put some time into before school starts or in the first week, which I’m told (though I’m skeptical) will be a little lax. I won’t be finishing any of them, but that’s OK. I’d just like to keep some amount of momentum. Particularly in my coding projects, I’d like to get them up to a spot where I’m more comfortable leaving them. I lost the better part of a day and a half to trying to fix my environment, which is an Android Studio build that I cobbled together improperly on my sketchy Linux machine.
If I need some brain-dead time, I’ve got that barely started bass guitar project that needs sanding on the primer and then the first actual paint coat. So maybe Sunday, when I most expect to feel completely burned out. Or not, I mean, whatever. I’m expecting to be balls-to-the-walls on studies, but even so, there are bound to be times that I just need to do something with my hands and not much else.
I’ve gotten in some music practice, but I really need more. But also, I have really started to develop a bit of a practice repertoire, which I think is really helping. Back to the basics for a lot of it, really – scales, chord voicings, triads, songs, and theory. I think this should help me get things back on track.
Social: Given my history, this part of my life is the most likely to take an absolute nose-dive over the next few months. I’m determined not to let it completely fall apart, but I think that just keeping up with the basics at all may be a challenge. Then again, I’ve made some pretty big in-roads, so maybe it won’t be that hard, as long as I just don’t completely fall off the end of the Earth again.
Though I do want to note that I’m currently feeling like I’ve had a few faux pas in the last few weeks, and I’m worried two of them may have been more so. It could always be my ever present anxiety and self doubt, but I think I’ve overstayed a welcome, overstepped a nascent relationship, and maybe given someone “the ick”. I don’t know, but I’m thinking that if I do interact with these folks anytime soon, I should try to read the room a little better, and maybe even keep some distance.Or maybe it’s fine and it’s all just in my head, I don’t know. Does anyone else constantly worry that they misread a situation? That they acted like a dick when they were trying to be silly? Or were trying to be a little friendlier and got too friendly? Or thought they had the right vibe in either comedy or chill vibes and instead came off creepy? Wait, am I just creepy?
Something to work on.
Anyway, let’s focus on the good. I had some great music playing sessions. I also got to cosplay as Stark from Frieren and dance to at least three remixes of the first season theme song for DanDaDan (the one by Creepy Nuts). And I had chorros and jamaica and I think I’ve discovered that when I make jamaica at home, I’m not making it strong enough. I had a strange but enjoyable impromptu conversation with a weirdo in a park. And I petted some dogs. I am scheduled to play some games with friends this Friday, and if I didn’t give the ick too hard and people are in town, I may also play some games with a different group this Saturday. Then Sunday morning/mid-afternoon is band practice. Oh shit, I’ve gotta practice my parts!
Everything Else: Home, auto, and self maintenance needs some attention, but I’m not sweating it. I can find time, and as long as I’m not ignoring anything critical, some amount of falloff is expected and that’s just fine. Oh, I did play a little bit of a video game. Not much, but a few side contracts in that Star Wars game where you have a cargo ship and say “Dank farrik!” a bunch. You know the one.
Next Time: I will have started class, I think. I mean, unless I try to have another check in before Monday or something unexpected and shitty happens. So I guess I’ll have some thoughts about that, right? Until then, keep it easy.